Virtual Running Buddies - w/o Jan 14

[SusanMac]

Happy Friday, runners!

Les, I took your bait & decided to start off this week's thread. No running for me today. It is currently -4F outside. The good news is that it is clear, sunny & absolutely beautiful out. Not sure my schedule will allow for a trip to the gym today, although I've got a bit of energy & am in the mood to do at least something. We'll see.

Aggie - Your comment about the postponed rowing class made me laugh. My rowing class is postponed because....er...the lakes are all frozen! I forget that there are spoiled people like you who can row all year-round. I think I might get burned out, though, if I had that. BTW, I'm also looking at an Olympic tri this summer, so we will have to compare training schedules.

Seathyme - Sounds like you are really enjoying your sabbatical & 1/2 training! The altitude issue should be fine for you. Most racers won't arrive as early as Wed, so that is good planning on your part.

OK....I've forgotten what I was going to say to other folks & don't have the old thread to scroll through. Plus, must jump into a meeting. So will just say a general "hi" and happy running!

[ktg0930]

Oooooh Susan, it's cold there! I think that's what's heading our way. It was about 60 this morning and I was excited to run until I looked outside and it was pouring! It's supposed to stop by mid-afternoon and the temps are supposed to start dropping, but I am still hoping/planning to get a run in this evening.

Seathyme, it does sound like the 1/2 training and the sabbatical are agreeing with you.

Les, thanks for sharing the picture. It's fun to put a face with the name.

Hello to Scout, Rebecca, Bethany, Elizabeth, Natasha, Mary, Eva and all the other VRBs!

Kathy

[aggie94]

Speaking of pictures, here are mine from the race:

http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=4353&BIB=9062

The first one is me at about Mile 19. The second one is a pre-race shot of Laura & I. I have no idea where that third shot was taken as I don't recall seeing any other cameras on the course, but I was clearly feeling pretty rough then. And then there's the finish line shot. (BTW, the twins in the matching outfits and birthday hats that said "Just turned 40!" are not me. ;) :p)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for starting Susan - I'd probably not be exercising outside if it were -4F too. Good call. I hope you did get to the gym.
Eva - Great pictures. Like Kathy said, it's good to be able to put a face and a name together. Now when we get together we'll have an idea who's who.
Kathy - I'd batten down the hatches if I were you. That weather headed your direction is way too cold for me.

On the other hand - it's not cold here but I'm looking for Noah today. I think we've had a ton of rain (nice :rolleyes: ). They were predicting between 1.25 and 1.5 inches today. Looks like no run (need the day off anyway) but I'll use it to get ready for whatever distance I run tomorrow - probably 14 miles.

Take care all and stay warm and dry.

Happy trails,
Les

[MaryH]

Eva - nice pictures. I love pictures (except when they're of me. :p )

Had two days off from running (was supposed to be one, but I just could not get myself to go yesterday morning.) Just finished my "new" route - I've decided that there is ONE good thing about lots of new houses going in here and that is - - - portapotties :cool: (Other than that I can't think of anything else, except that every now and then I discover that a raod now goes through where it used to be a dead end.)

My question for the day: so just how do you determine when you should be pushing yourself v. saying "hey just enjoy it." I seem to have this problem lately and find myself "rebelling" during a run and saying (to myself) "I just want to walk ..." I think it's that I feel I "should" be getting faster, but when I focus on that, it sort of sucks all the enjoyment out of doing it just for the sake of doing it. For example, I know I CAN run three or four miles without stopping to walk, but lately I don't have the desire to. I'm rambling, so I'll sign off now .... time to hit the showers.

[SusanMac]

Les - forgot to compliment your fun shorts from last week's thread!

Aggie - Awesome to see pictures of both you & Laura. The birthday twins were also funny. Cannot imagine wearing a birthday hat while running 26.2 miles. I think my limit for costumes would be a 10K.

Seathyme - Also forgot to mention that I've decided to check out our local Unitarian church. Lots of reasons that I don't need to go into here (although one common & popular reason is that it is in a simply gorgeous building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that I want to experience). But, thought you would be interested to know.

Mary - *very* good question! I've definitely dealt with that. There's a big difference between sitting on the sofa & not being motivated, and not feeling motivated *while* you're doing it. I have found that if the thoughts/vibes are really strong, it means I need to take a break/cut back/x-train with something else. If they're minor & occassional, I typically decide to push through them. The endorphins typically win over any negative thoughts. That might take a few weeks, though. And, I also evaluate other non-running stuff that might be impacting my mood (work stress, tsunami/presidential election news overload, bad nutrition, not enough alone time, etc).

I go back & forth between being happy with my running as-is & pushing myself to improve my speed. Sometimes I feel I should just be content with the peace I get just doing it. Then other times I feel that if I'm investing all this time, I should be improving.

[Natasha]

Hi all,

Susan, thanks for starting us off this week.

Les and Eva, great photos! Thanks for sharing them.

Mary, that is a good question. If I find that I'm really not having fun with my running, I cut back and either cross-train or don't train at all, and find that before long at all I'm just raring to go again. I also find that the first week or two of getting back into a training schedule can be rough, and also it can be tough when I'm getting pretty far into a schedule and need a rest. As for the pushing yourself vs. running just because, that is a tough one. I relish running so much that I can't stand the thought of not doing it, so that keeps me in rein most of the time. Still, I'm pretty speed-conscious and do like to think that overall I'm improving or am capable of improving. I definitely find that possibility motivating.

Guess I'm not really answering the question ;) Maybe I'll be more coherent later :o

I'm trying to figure out which marathon to do this spring, and am finding some good ones besides Ottawa. Decisions, decisions! I'll also post a couple of sites later that have great running info, IMHO :) First I need to figure out this race thing! I've already figured out what I might want to run next year - now for this year.

Happy Friday, folks,
Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

Susan - Yep - you can see those shorts from a long way off can't you. :D I love them because they really make a statement.
Mary - I'm not sure I have a good answer to your question but I also think (after this past late summer/fall) that the run's the thing. If you feel oppressed to "run" faster then there's no reason to press and not have a good run. If you think you should be running faster just try to run a little faster (do a fartlek) in your run. Nothing really pressing but a little interval work in the midst of your "blah" run. If I ever figure out how to beat the running blues I'll let you know.

Getting ready to turn in but thought I'd wish everyone a great weekend.

Happy trails,
Les

[seathyme]

Thanks for the great photos, Eva, Laura and Les! Smiling at Mile 19, Eva, I'm impressed.:p

Mary, I've bounced around with that same question. When I do just whatever I feel like on a given day, it can tend to spiral down to less and less. Give myself a specific though arbitrary goal, on the other hand, and sometimes I resent how "hard" it is -- especially as I'm contemplating the workout and haven't begun it yet... But when I've succeeded at completing the tougher ones, I always feel great and ready to take on even more challenge. It does seem wrong, somehow, that this thing we do for health and pleasure also requires some discipline. Shouldn't fun stuff be simply easy and, well, fun? But a lot of things seem to work this way for me -- like a planned outing, say. When the time comes it's a hassle to get ready or to make time for it or whatever, and tempting to bag it. But I never regret going ahead anyway, despite a little hassle. Sorry I'm rambling; obviously you struck a chord with the question!

Natasha, I'll be interested to see the running sites you like. And good luck choosing a marathon -- have you narrowed the field of choices?

Susan, I've seen pictures of the Madison Frank Lloyd Wright church. It's an incredible building. Also quite a project to maintain, I've heard. Wright was more into aesthetics than practicality! Hope you like it.

Kathy, did you get that run in yesterday? What a bizarre day, at least here. 60+ in the morning, 30's by the end of the day, and cold yucky rain. But, today there's been -- drumroll please -- a little bit of *sunshine*! I'd forgotten what it was like, really.

Training report from here: weights and 30 min. elliptical yesterday; 5.5 mile tempo run this morning. That goal of getting faster is gonna require a long view, obviously. That tempo stuff was hard! But, per above, felt great afterwards.

DH and I leave for our week in San Francisco early on Monday. We'll be away from puters:eek: , but if you picture me running in the Presidio, hopefully you'll be right! I'm so looking forward to the change of scene.

Hi to all the VRB's out there. Check in when you can...

[Leslie Ferguson]

seathyme - It sounds like your weather was really weird yesterday. I hope you enjoy your trip to San Francisco. I've always loved the Bay area - in fact celebrated my 9th Anniversary at a B&B about 3 blocks from Coit Tower - what a great place. I hope you grow to like the tempo runs but I've found that I get my greatest speed increase from my race-pace runs.

Running report... Just under 14 miles this morning in the cold and wind (nothing like -4 for Susan yesterday but still cold). The running wasn't bad but... drumroll I found a root with guess which foot. :mad: Hopefully nothing will arise from the finding but I'm still a little torqued. Otherwise, we had a good group - 5 of us running together. That's the most I've ever had with me for a long run and we were all comfortable running at the pace today. Could have been faster but why.

Hope everyone else is doing well. I'm off to sign up for my next two races. Have a great weekend.

Happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Hi all,

Seathyme, enjoy SF! I'm so envious. The last two times I was there were in winter. I treasured every moment of the weather and gorgeous scenery. It was just the thing in the middle of a long winter. Time for a visit back there, in fact - maybe I should go check out the seat sales now! :D

Les, that's great about the almost 14 miles and the group running so well together! Bummer about finding the root, though. Isn't that always the way? How does the ankle/foot feel today?

I have sort of narrowed down the marathon choices but need to do a bit more research and will report back. I'll also give the website info I mentioned the other day. I should get going now and do a few things before my long run of the week. Hope it goes well. I'll probably do some of it in the gym because it's pretty chilly out!

Take care, everyone,
Natasha

[ktg0930]

Originally posted by seathyme
Kathy, did you get that run in yesterday? What a bizarre day, at least here. 60+ in the morning, 30's by the end of the day, and cold yucky rain. But, today there's been -- drumroll please -- a little bit of *sunshine*! I'd forgotten what it was like, really.


Seathyme, that was our weather on Friday too. And I have to admit that I didn't get a run in...Friday afternoons are a tough time for me and I just wanted to relax after a long week at work.

I had class yesterday, but did row for 45 minutes, while watching An Officer and a Gentleman which I haven't seen for years. Today, I am going to do a little schoolwork and then go running. It's chilly, but at least it's not foggy like it was for most of last week.

Les, sorry about the incident with the root! I hope your foot is feeling better today.

Happy running, everyone!

[Natasha]

We had that weird weather on Thursday! It went up to 65F before falling drastically, raining, and flurrying :o

Kathy, glad you seem to be enjoying the rowing machine :)

Quick check in to say that I'm back from my run - 10.2 miles - and am feeling less cranky than before. ;)

Pretty quiet on the thread this week. Where is everyone?

Back later,
Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks Natasha and Kathy - my ankle doesn't feel too bad but I'm off to the gym to do my Sunday workout. I'm going to take it easy there, probably do stuff that won't stress my ankle just to be safe.

Natasha - Good run - 10.2 miles is a good distance. I hope you get your marathon hammered down soon so we can root (no pun intended) you on.
Kathy - Rowing for 45 minutes? I think if there's one exercise that really wiggs/wipes me out it is rowing. I have used the machine a couple times and always feel a little woozy coming off the thing. Probably something to do with my form.

I didn't check inhere yesterday but boy did I blow my responsibility after my run yesterday. I wasn't thinking when I left the park with one of the runners that I'm supposed to be running with and making sure they get in safely with 6 more miles to run. I didn't necessarily have to run more miles I just needed to stay around to make sure she got in safely. Boy did I hear it from my coach and got a rightly deserved chastising. I won't make that mistake again.

Oh well, off to the gym for my weekly weight workout.

Happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Les, sorry to hear about yesterday. Everyone does things that later on they regret and I still think you must be an excellent pacing partner for your group. They're lucky to have you. :)

The main website I wanted to mention the other day is this one:
http://www.runnersweb.com/

It's based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Every week for at least a couple of years, I've been receiving weekly e-mail digests from these folks. The website itself is very good - although perhaps a bit Canadiancentric - and it also has tons of links to other sites. It also features its own marathon calendar, which has some small races I'd never heard of before, and other race calendars.

If you choose to subscribe to the digest (mentioned on the homepage), you'll get more links, blurbs of articles, and so on. Susan, Mary, Les, and others, you might also appreciate that there is a strong tri community here too - not just runners.

Anyway, that's it for me. Happy rest of weekend, guys!
Natasha

[seathyme]

Good job on the long runs, Natasha and Les! Hope the ankle doesn't bother, Les. Thanks for the link as well, Natasha. I'll check it out (when I'm not distracted by packing, etc!).

Got in my last cold-weather run for a week anyway. Had no zip at all, not to mention a few ahem "issues," so kept it to 4 miles. Apparently I needed a recovery day. It feels so odd to put *shorts* in my suitcase, but I'll be quite happy to join you Californians for a bit now.

Have a good week everyone, and I'll "see" you when I return.

[Natasha]

Bon voyage, Seathyme!! :)

Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

Natasha - Thanks for the link, I'll have to take a look at it. Also thanks for the vote of confidence - I know my coach acted like he did because he knew it wouldn't take too much to get me to remember what I've signed on to do with the group. Believe me, I won't forget the lesson learned yesterday. I also bet he was a little tweaked because he ended up spending about 4 or 5 hours out in the cold and you can only imagine how he really felt by the end of his day. I know I'd have been a little perturbed.
Bon voyage Seathyme!

Speaking of races I've figured out the schedule for my races:
Mar 19 - Shamrock marathon (long run pace)
Jun 5 - Breezy Point Triathlon
Sep 4 - Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 marathon

There'll probably be at least one other half-marathon and a 25 k race thrown in the mix too but those are the ones I'm actually signed up for as of yesterday.

To my workout for today. It was a good day in the gym lifting. There were understandably a couple exercises I took it easy on to help protect my ankle. In all I came out ok and I've now finished my evening icing which seems to help a little of the pain since there's really no swelling to speak of.

Oh well, even though I don't have to work tomorrow I still need to turn in at a reasonable hour. So until the morning,

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Happy Monday everyone!

Les & Laura - I was just catching up on my reading with the Jan Runner's World, and thought of you both. They have a feature on the best small marathons. Both the Boulder Backroads and the Richmond Marathon were in there! Looks like you guys have picked good races. And, Les, very excited to see your first tri on the schedule! Assume it's a sprint.

OK, I sadly have nothing to report, as I've been a lazy veg all weekend. Sat was an all-day meeting, so I have an excuse. No excuses for Fri or Sun. Oh well. Starting a new week, so can get back on track. Definitely have some pent-up energy to burn today. Planning on a good bike trainer workout.

[beckms]

Hi all! I'm GOING to the gym today. I'm going to RUN at least 4 miles on the treadmill. OK, now it's in writing. :p

It's been so C O L D here, and I figure, why suffer when I have a fancy (expensive) gym at my disposal? So I've been getting friendly with the treadmill and my trusty iPod. Poor Wrigley, though...I feel bad that I'm not taking her on runs.:(

Seathyme, I'm so jealous!!! I hope it's warm while you're there. BF is going to Phoenix at the end of the month...I'd love to get a break from this frozen land!

Kathy--yikes, 45 minutes on the rowing machine sounds like a long time. Good for you!

Natasha, great job getting out there and doing those long runs.

Aggie and Laura---how are you recovering?

Les, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you continue to be able to work out without major ankle problems.

BF went out the other day and ran ~6 miles in about 50 minutes or so. And then complained the reast of the weekend about how sore his knee was. Well, duh! My knees hurt after a distance like that, and I haven't had any surgeries! Oh well. I'm so glad he can go out and do stuff like that now.

Hi to everyone else! I'm off to the gym!:cool:

[Leslie Ferguson]

Rebecca - I don't envy you up there in Boston at this time of year. Way too cold for my thin blood. Of course we're having our share of cold weather right now. I hope your 4 miles on the theadmill goes well today and I bet Wrigley is ok not having to run outside in the cold. And tell BF he needs to take it easy on that knee (and I know about taking it a little easy right now after a non-surgical condition). I too hope I can keep training without injury. I think I may have to avoid the trail as much as possible because there are just too many irregularities out there. That would suck too because I like to run with the group and we're going to be on the trail for long runs for the forseeable future.
Susan - I too assume the tri is a sprint tri. It is a 1 km open water (Chesapeake Bay) swim, 20 km bike ride, and a 5 km run. It's an interesting course that is completely on the main Naval Station in Norfolk. A little more information about the Breezy Point Triathlon (http://www.breezypointtri.com/) can be found at the link. I hope the water in the bay has warmed up sufficiently to make it bearable. Otherwise I'll have to find a wetsuit to wear for the race.

I too am off to the gym. May run or elliptical depending on usage (it is an off day for the military). I'll probably also head out to pick up a new suit - the one I have that is about 4 or 5 years old is starting to get a little too thin :D and I don't think anyone else needs to see all they can see.

Have a great Monday and great workouts.

Happy trails,
Les

[beckms]

Originally posted by Leslie Ferguson
I'll probably also head out to pick up a new suit - the one I have that is about 4 or 5 years old is starting to get a little too thin :D and I don't think anyone else needs to see all they can see.


:o :eek: :o :eek:




5 miles on the 'mill. Done. I gotta say, though, 4 glasses of wine with dinner last night didn't help me during the run today...go figure!;)

[badunnin]

It's flippin' cold on there folks! (Still on the wagon, just don't feel much like posting lately. :) Hi to all...)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Rebecca - Gee - ya think?? Good fro you to push through with the vin affecting you (which version - blanc ou rouge?) kind of makes you remember to drink plenty of water too. How were things up in Boston today - the news made it look like Massachusetts was burried in snow. And of course cold - but not as cold as it was in Bethany and Susan's neck of the woods.
Bethany - Glad you're still on the wagon even if you aren't posting. I hope you are staying warm up there - I didn't like the look of the upper midwest and the northern tier (-22 in Internatinoal Falls).

Well - a mixed afternoon. I did get a good workout in. 60 minutes of elliptical and I don't seem any worse the wear although for the events of Saturday. No ice tonight but I'm hitting a little pain killer (only tylenol thank you) to relieve the dull ache. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring besides cold weather down here. It may be an off day for me because of a couple meeting but then again it may be an early afternoon workout because I'm changing jobs in the same office and this one should be less stressful (one can only hope).

Until tomorrow - I bet seathyme is happy to be out of New England now.

Happy trails,
Les

[Elizabeth B]

Hello all!

It's good to hear everyone's running reports. I got three nice runs in over the long week-end despite the cold. It was in the 20s Sunday and Monday. My body stayed warm, but boy, was my face cold. fter yesterday's run, it took a few minutes for my face to thaw so that I could speak properly!

It's supposed to warm up a little bit tomorrow - yeah!

Take care, all.

[beckms]

Originally posted by Leslie Ferguson
I bet [b]seathyme is happy to be out of New England now.



You have no idea...

We don't have a lot of snow, but it is COLD. It's snot-freezing cold. The kind of cold where you walk outside and everything in your nose freezes. Sorry for the mental image.

OK, VRBs, can someone point me in the direction of a good site for training for a 10-miler? Cool Running has training for 5K, 10K, and half-marathon, but I want to train for 10 miles.

Thanks in advance!:cool:

[SusanMac]

Beckms - I don't think I've seen a specific 10-mile plan. But, I'd just use the half-marathon plan, if I were you. Tweak if you want to, but the distances are so close that I'd bet it would be the same.

Yes, this is the coldest winter so far in the 4 years I've been in Wisconsin. It's supposed to warm up today & be in the 20's for the rest of the week. That will be a good thing. I can definitely do 20. Heck, even run outside in 20.

Got in a good bike trainer session last night. It's boring as crud, but I'm really glad I'm making myself do these. It's really pushing my legs hard, which I know will make me that much more prepared when spring season arrives.

Pilates is really fun! My teacher adds 2-4 new moves each week, and also advances the old ones if we want something tougher. In all honesty, if it was summer, I might be a little antsy to do something more aerobic. But, I can feel my back, abs & buns getting stronger. And, at 8am when it's -10 out, excercising while lying on the floor to soft music is a really good thing :-)

[MaryH]

Originally posted by SusanMac
Pilates is really fun! My teacher adds 2-4 new moves each week, and also advances the old ones if we want something tougher. In all honesty, if it was summer, I might be a little antsy to do something more aerobic. But, I can feel my back, abs & buns getting stronger. And, at 8am when it's -10 out, excercising while lying on the floor to soft music is a really good thing :-) [/B]

:cool:

And from the opposite side of the weather vane.... Took my kids skiing yestderay and it was gorgeous. I'd say about 35-40 degrees outside with sun. Perfect ski weather. Kids went to ski school and I got to ski some, so it worked out well.
Haven't run in a couple of days and figured I'd go to the gym today as the backs of my knees ache somewhat (I know it's from the skiing but I'm not exactly sure what I was doing that caused it.) Besides it's been longer since I've been to the gym than since I've been running, so I needed to go. Plan is to run tomorrow morning.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Mary - Too cool about the skiing! It sounds like perfect skiing weather. Where are you at? It's been way too long since I've skied and of course now I don't think I'd stand the cold too long. I fully understand the pain in the back of the knees, skiing put weird stress on your legs and knees. Have a good run in the morning too.
Susan - I'm glad you found something to do inside. It sounds like it is terrible up there right now. I know that I'm pretty much suffering looking at near-single digits in the morning and a high of 24 or 25 this afternoon and can't fathom what a -anything temperature is like.

Today was a self-imposed off day. I should have done something but I spent 3 hours leanring about my new job and building a computer network through lunch then had a church council meeting so I oculdn't workout after work so -- rest (which I bet I needed after this weekend). And there's always tomorrow. :)

I hoep that everyone is keeping warm it's supposed to be pretty terrible out there for the next couple days.

Until the morning, bed time calls. Happy trails,
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Back-to-backs... a bad sign.

Just a quick check in to report I got over to the gym during lunch before things got too out of control this evening (predicting snow in Norfolk which will be our death traffic wise). An hour on the elliptical and NO ankle pain to speak of so I've dodged the bullet once again :rolleyes: with my ankle. Some day my guardian angel will quit and make me pay for all the dumb stuff I do.

Anyone else out there???

Happy trails,
Les

[ktg0930]

I'm here freezing in my office...my toes are so cold even with 2 pairs of socks. I just borrowed a heater which is helping.

We're supposed to get a little snow this afternoon also. It's been too cold to run outside the last two mornings, but tomorrow is predicted to be in the 20s. I did a long run, 7.5 miles, on Sunday...the longest run I've done since completing the 1/2 in August. Yesterday, rowed 8000 meters and plan to do another 5000 tonight I hope.

Les, it's so good to hear that you aren't having any pain!

I hope everyone is staying warm!!

[Natasha]

Hi gang!

It's been one heck of a nutty week here. Monday night I was out for dinner at a work thing, yesterday I was home and exhausted (though did do an hour on the bike trainer :)) and today was insane at work but a VERY good day. Got good news on three projects and am feeling pretty darn stoked, and to boot I had a great run at lunchtime. There was about 4 inches of snow on the ground and I had my backpack on, and ran about 4.25 miles, including going up one of the most infamous hills in the city. It didn't even feel that hard! :D

Anyway, enough about me me me.

Rebecca, how's your BF doing after that speedy run? I agree with Susan that adapting a half marathon schedule should work just fine.

Elizabeth, good going on your training. Nice to hear from you :)

Mary, lucky you to have been able to go out skiing!

Les, I hope the new job is going well in its early days. :) Yay on the pain-free elliptical workout!

Kathy, that's a LOT of rowing. Are you going to row with a team like Susan does?

Susan, have you been out snowshoeing lately in anticipation of your race? We haven't but with today's snow and what we're expecting in the next few days, we may be able to snowshoe on the weekend.

Bethany, good going on the run the other day and I hope you have a nice run tonight.

Hello to everyone else, and happy trails,
Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

Originally posted by Natasha
It's been one heck of a nutty week here... Got good news on three projects and am feeling pretty darn stoked, and to boot I had a great run at lunchtime. There was about 4 inches of snow on the ground and I had my backpack on, and ran about 4.25 miles, including going up one of the most infamous hills in the city. It didn't even feel that hard! :D
Sounds like you've had a great week. I hope the remainder of this one goes as smashingly as it has so far.
Les, I hope the new job is going well in its early days. :) Yay on the pain-free elliptical workout!
I can say without hesitation that my job has already de-stressed significantly in the two days that I've been in my new position. Even though I'm now responsible for all the command's Information Technology (computers, video teleconferencing) and technical support (on-line and hard copy publications) the pace and stress is much less here than when I was responsible for developing tactics for that helped define how surface ships did protected themselves, conducted strike missions, and moved Marines from the sea to the shore for the Navy. I bet this job will be less stressful than the one I held for the previous 2 years. And honestly, I think I may have earned a good job after over 19.5 years in the Navy. And yes, I'm thrilled that my workout came off pain free.

It snowed here and oddly it took me nearly an hour to drive home tonight (I could almost run home faster). The folks in Norfolk can't drive in the snow and slick roads. Oh well... it could be worse.

Until morning, I hope everyone is staying warm and cozy.

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Howdy everyone!

Natasha - No, haven't been snowshoeing lately, as all of our snow turned to ice when it rained last week. However, we're supposed to get 6" of fresh fluffy stuff Fri night, so I'm hoping to get out this weekend. I don't have running snowshoes, so can't officially practice. But, even hiking with our regular snowshoes I know will get me into the right "feel" of it.

KTG - Way to go on the rowing! I haven't done my session this week, so your reports will encourage me. Do me & Aggie proud....legs/back/arms, arms/back/legs :-) You are probably getting in lots of good movie time.

Did a 30-minute treadmill session yesterday (thankfully Talk of the Nation was extremely interesting :-), followed by a really solid weights session. The endorphins must have kicked in, as I felt really strong. Later in the afternoon, though, I was completely exhausted.

On another topic...is anyone watching the Auschwitz (sp?) series on PBS this week? Fascinating stuff! Maybe I should do the bike trainer to that tonight??

[ktg0930]

Hi everyone!

Susan, that Auschwitz thing sounds interesting...clearly I haven't been watching it. Thanks for the heads-up, I'll have to check it out.

Natasha, great sounding run in the snow. And yay! for good news at work.

Les, your new job sounds so very interesting and much less stressful than determining how to protect surface ships. How often do you change jobs in the Navy?

Rebecca, I agree, a half-marathon training program would work well for 10 miles. The beginner 1/2 program I used had the maximum distance at 10 miles, so you would be all set for a 10 mile race.

I don't think I'll be taking up rowing, although it is nice to have the machine for the cold days. I ran outside this morning since it was in the 20s. It was a good run and I am glad I got out of bed to do it.

Kathy

[Laura]

Hi everyone, just checking in to say "no running here." My foot is still bothering me slightly, and a body scuplting class I did yesterday, currently has my muscles screaming. I did do intervals on the bike this morning (and managed to whack my right knee on the bike so that know I have a huge bruise). :rolleyes:

[aggie94]

Just checking in to say "no running here" either. But unlike Laura, I have not replaced the running with any physical activity whatsoever, unless you count sitting on the couch sipping orange creamsicle floats. :o :o

Okay, okay - I *swear* I will get back to the gym this weekend, no excuses! Plus rowing class starts on Saturday. I will not become a total slug. :rolleyes:

[Laura]

Originally posted by aggie94
Just checking in to say "no running here" either. But unlike Laura, I have not replaced the running with any physical activity whatsoever, unless you count sitting on the couch sipping orange creamsicle floats. :o :o


Do I even want to know how to make those? Is it just orange soda and vanilla ice cream? :D

[SusanMac]

You guys are both excused from vigorous physical activity for at least a few weeks !

Laura - you can tell everyone that you have a bike injury. It will be a cool badge of honor, and they don't have to know how it happened. Actually, the marathon injury is more impressive. Stick with that one for some good sympathy.

Why am I guessing that the creamsicle floats involve vodka or rum of some kind?!

[aggie94]

No, no... no booze involved. ;) It's basically just a root beer float with orange soda instead of root beer. Fill big sundae glass with ice cream, then pour in orange soda to top it off. Add additional orange soda and/or ice cream as necessary to maintain preferred ratio as ice cream melts. Mmmmmmmm. :D

[Leslie Ferguson]

Laura - I'm with Susan - the bike injury is a cool :cool: badge of honor. Get all the sympathy you can. ;)
Kathy - I've typically changed jobs about every 2 years but this is the first time that I've changed jobs without leaving a command. Every other time I've actually left a command to get a new job. So far I've served at 9 different commands (excluding temporary schools - less than 6 months) in just under 20 years. Kind of keeps things interesting if you ask me.

I pulled off another elliptical workout after work today - felt good and strong. I'm starting to get my wind back and I think I'll be fully up for Boston barring any more injuries. Of course, there's a lot of ground between here and there (figuratively).

Not much more tonight. Waiting for the snow to come - they're predicting about an inch. If I were a betting man I'd believe we'll be delayed 2 hours in the morning (but I'll probably go in on time because there probably won't be much traffic with the delay). So off to bed for a good nights rest --- until morning...

Happy trails,
Les